Torquay United match preview: Gulls head to Bromley with a first plastic pitch win in their sights

Ryan Higgins Of Torquay United during the Vanarama National League match between Woking and Torquay United at the Laithwaite Community Stadium on August 28 2017 in Woking, England. (Photo by Gareth Davies/PPAUK)

IF MANAGERLESS Torquay United can pull off their first-ever competitive victory on an all-weather pitch, at Bromley’s Hayes Lane arena tonight (7.45pm), it would do the winless Gulls a power of good and possibly lift them off the bottom of the Vanarama National League.

Another day has gone by at Plainmoor without a successor to Kevin Nicholson being appointed, and it is caretaker Robbie Herrera who will take the team for a sixth match this evening.

United lost on 3G artificial surfaces at Sutton United (0-2) and Maidstone United (1-2) last season, while Torquay fans still have painful memories of losing a Play-Off Semi-Final (4-3 on aggregate) to Preston North End after a 4-1 extra-time defeat on the old plastic pitch at Deepdale in 1994.

Herrera, who played for several seasons on a bouncy ‘all-weather’ at Queen’s Park Rangers, quipped: “I still have the scars to prove it.

“But that’s not an issue now. We trained the majority of last winter on the ‘astro’ at Torquay Academy, so many of our players know what to expect, and many other clubs also train on similar surfaces these days.”

Right-back Ryan Higgins has been in the wars during the last few weeks, but he keeps coming up for more and Herrera reports that he is fit after his latest knock in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Wrexham.

The ‘clean sheet’ at the weekend coincided with the return after injury of captain and centre-back Josh Gowling.

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Gowling had been kept out for five weeks by knee trouble, and it will be interesting to see whether he plays again tonight on a surface which is seldom kind to knees.

United also have another trip coming up this Saturday, a marathon one at that to Barrow.

Although their once-crippling injury list is starting to ease, United are still likely to be without six players tonight.

Recent signings, like goalkeeper Vincent Dorel, midfielder George Dowling, left-back Chinua Cole and central defender Michee Efete, have helped, but those absentees were most evident at the weekend on United’s subs bench, which wasn’t nearly as strong as Wrexham’s.

Mention of Bromley this season, and United supporters may make a sharp intake of breath, because of one man – Brett Williams.

No Torquay player divided opinion last season as much as Williams.

The experienced striker ended up making only 21 league starts under Nicholson, but he came back with four crucial goals in the last three games to keep the club in the National League and end up as leading scorer (11).

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Most Gulls fans would have been happy to see the club re-sign three players who have all ended up at Bromley this season – Williams, midfielder Josh Rees and winger Iffy Allen.

Since Rees played on loan from Nottingham Forest the season before last, he’s gone on to a good campaign with Chelmsford City before being snapped up by Bromley, while Allen has had spells with Aldershot and Wrexham before heading in the same direction.

The Kent club made a fast start under Neil Smith, unbeaten in their first five games, but they’ve taken only one point from the last four and are now down to 13 place.

Herrera added: “The performance against Wrexham wasn’t fantastic, but it was another point against a team near the top of the table, and we will look to build on that.

“In an attacking sense, we didn’t create as much as we have in previous games, so that’s something we need to improve on.”